According to Deutschlandfunk, the internal SPD debate over how to handle the AfD has gained new momentum. The trigger was a statement by former Schleswig-Holstein Minister President Torsten Albig, who recommended that his party consider minority governments tolerated by the AfD. With this, Albig is calling into question the so-called firewall that has so far ruled out cooperation with the right-wing populist party.
Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil have not yet publicly commented on Albig’s proposal. However, the suggestion is meeting with broad rejection within the party. Critics fear that toleration by the AfD would undermine the SPD’s credibility and effectively tear down the firewall. Albig himself justified his position by pointing to the difficulty of forming governments in several federal states.
The debate highlights the fundamental dilemma facing the SPD: in polls, the AfD is leading in several eastern German states, making traditional coalitions without the party increasingly difficult. At the same time, an open alliance with the AfD is ruled out by all established parties. Albig’s proposal aims to at least allow indirect toleration in order to form capable governments.
EuroPulse reported on May 23, 2026, about Albig’s recommendation to the SPD to consider cooperation with the AfD (Ex-Minister President Albig recommends SPD cooperation with AfD).
Source: www.deutschlandfunk.de
